Pentax K-1 Review

After years of promises and months of teasing, Ricoh has finally unveiled the Pentax K-1, a 36.4MP full-frame DSLR built around the K lens mount. It becomes the only conventional DSLR to offer a full frame sensor with image stabilization.

The camera is extensively sealed and features magnesium alloy construction. But despite its range-topping status and high-end build, it has a relatively low list price of $1799.

Pentax K-1 Key Specifications

36.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor with no anti-aliasing filter

5-axis image stabilization rated to 5 stops by CIPA standard testing

100% pentaprism viewfinder with 0.7x magnification

33-point AF system (25 cross-type)

Extensive weather-sealing

1/200 sec flash sync speed

14-bit Raw recording (DNG or PEF)

AA filter simulation

Multi-shot Pixel Shift Resolution mode

Built-in GPS with electro-magnetic compass and Astrotracer function

4.4 fps continuous shooting (6.5 fps in APS-C crop mode)

Wi-Fi

1080/30p video

Sensor-shift cleverness

As this list of spec highlights should make clear, the K-1 makes the most of its moveable sensor. As well as the image stabilization, which is rated to an impressive 5 stops, the camera offers a host of other clever features. These include anti-aliasing filter simulation which vibrates the sensor during exposure to intentionally blur high frequency detail across multiple pixels, to avoid moiré. Then there's the Pixel Shift Resolution mode that increases color resolution by shooting four consecutive images with the sensor moved by one pixel - effectively canceling the Bayer color filter array and lowering noise by image averaging.

The other sensor-shift modes are also clever: the K-1 includes Horizon Correction, which rotates the sensor if you hold the camera slightly off-level, and the Astrotracer system that uses the sensor's movement to cancel-out the effect of the Earth's rotation when taking images of stars (something it can calculate using its GPS).

Upgraded AF and metering

The sensor at the heart of the SAFOX 12 AF module. It gives 33 AF points in all, 25 of which are cross type and three of which offer greater accuracy when paired with bright lenses.

The camera gets a new AF module (called SAFOX 12) which features 33 focus points, 25 of which are cross type. The central three of these offer higher precision when used with F2.8 or faster lenses and the central 25 continue to focus down as far as -3EV.

An 86,000-pixel RGB metering sensor acts to offer 77-segment metering but also aids the camera's autofocus system, enabling scene analysis and subject detection to yield accurate exposures and automatically select the correct AF point to stay on your subject (subject tracking) when using continuous AF.

Core competence

Overall, though, it's not the clever use of the sensor that most stands out about the K-1, it's Ricoh's obvious focus on the core photographic capabilities. There's a reason we chose to list the viewfinder size so far up the list of specifications - it's because we think it's something users coming from existing Pentax cameras will most appreciate. Sure, there are multiple exposure modes and time lapse options, but the things that most jumped out are the high resolution sensor, the well positioned dials, the large viewfinder and image stabilization - the core things that help you to get better images. Speaking of core things: some may bemoan the omission of a dedicated AF point control, though the four way controller can be re-purposed for this.

Which isn't to say the K-1 is entirely without the occasional flourish. Aside from clever sensor shift modes (that some - particularly landscape - photographers will surely come to love), the most obvious of these is its 'Cross-Tilt' LCD. The Cross-Tilt mechanism takes a tilting LCD cradle and mounts it on four legs that slide along a cross-shaped series of slots, allowing the screen to extend outwards and move in a complex manner, before the screen itself is tilted up/down.

The K-1's Cross-Tilt LCD system has all the elegance of two deck chairs mating, but it provides a useful range of articulation.

Mounted to the back of the LCD are four white LEDs that can be used to shed light on the rear controls. Another LED, whose behavior can be set independently, shines a light on the lens mount for easier alignment when swapping lenses in the dark. The camera's card bay and remote release port are also illuminated by LEDs.

For the most part, though, the camera's focus is very much toward a traditional approach to still photography. Video capture tops-out at 1080/30p (which can also be encoded as 60i, if you prefer), which is a long way from cutting edge, but we really doubt that Ricoh has would-be film makers in mind with this model.

Still shooters are likely to appreciate the camera's Smart Function system, which adds a third command dial to the top right corner of the camera and a further control to define its function. The three dials give direct control over three of the camera's parameters with the ability to customize one of them without going anywhere near a menu.

Pricing

And how much does Ricoh want for this twin-dial, weather-sealed, magnesium alloy, image-stabilized full frame camera? The list price is a fiercely competitive $1799, body only. To put that in perspective, that's $200 lower than the launch price of Nikon's more basic D610 and $300 less than what Canon originally expected for the EOS 6D, meaning there's only a $100 premium over the list price of Sony's image-stabilized a7 II.

This is a very similar pattern we've seen from Ricoh before, with the company's models often including higher-end features (twin control dials, prism viewfinders and weather sealing) at a lower price than you'd need to spend to get them from one of the other DSLR makers.

Lens lineup

At present, Pentax offers a mixture of full-frame compatible lenses, including a handful of screw-drive FA prime lenses from the film-era and the much-loved 31, 43 and 77mm FA Limiteds from the late '90s/early 2000s. However, the company is already starting to flesh-out a range of more modern 'D FA' zooms, including a 15-30mm F2.8, a 24-70mm F2.8 (both suspiciously reminiscent of certain current Tamron-branded zooms) a 70-200mm F2.8 and an 150-450mm F4.5-5.6. For now, though, those looking for modern, fast-focusing primes will be disappointed.

But that isn't the whole story, of course. Part of the reason for all the interest in a full-frame Pentax is the vast collection of K-mount lenses that exist around the world. The K-1 lets you use the aperture rings on these lenses and can give a focus confirmation beep with the central AF point, even with manual focus lenses. When you mount an older, manual lens the K-1 prompts you to manually specify the focal length so that the image stabilization can be tuned appropriately.

The K-1 can, of course, still use the Pentax DA lenses designed for the company's APS-C cameras. By default the camera will use a 15MP APS-C-sized crop of the sensor if a DA lens is mounted but can be made to use its full sensor region, if you'd prefer. Ricoh has published a list of those lenses that will produce relatively useable results in full frame mode, if the aperture is stopped down.

DA Prime Lens / Utility on K-1

DA 14mm

Crop Mode Only

DA 50mm F1.8

Stopped-down

DA 21mm Limited

Crop Mode Only

DA* 55mm F1.4

Stopped-down

DA 15 F4 Limited

Crop Mode Only

DA 70mm Limited

Stopped-down

DA 35mm F2.4

Stopped-down

DA* 200mm F2.8 SDM

Fully Functional

DA 35mm F2.8 Macro

Stopped-down

DA* 300mm F4 SDM

Fully Functional

DA 40mm Limited

Stopped-down

DA 560mm F5.6

Fully Functional

DA 40mm XS

Stopped-down

RC1.4X

Crop Mode Only

The company says that all of the DA zooms will only cover the crop sensor region.

Comments

Does anyone know if the Pentax 645 SMC lenses (manual, AF, and Leaf Shutter) will work with this camera with at least Aperture-Priority metering, and if so with adapter, what the adapter is? Those 645 system lenses are beautiful performers and I'd love to be able to use them on a full-frame digital body w/o the expense of a medium-format digital body. Thanks.

I have that same f/2 A model, but have not done the comparison work you have. I only know it has always been sharp enough for me, and always sharper than the kit zooms I had.

Its possible for fewer elements to be very sharp. The famous Zeiss Planar is a 5 element design.

I have a Rollei 35 with the Rollei copy of the Zeiss Tessar (4 elements) and it is wonderful. My grandpa had the one with the Zeiss Triotar, and whatever it lacked in sharpness, it made up for in contrast. Course, I was not pixel peeping, as I've only had them for film cameras.

I tried to make it clear that the Pentax 50mm f:2 is quite a good performer when stopped down.

I have an old, beaten-up, scratched 50mm f:1.4 which is quite sharp from f:2.0 and smaller.

I bought the 'A' model for its auto-exposure coupling on my first Pentax digital, an *ist DS. It was when I used this lens wide open that I noticed the extreme curvature of field.

Sharpness at small apertures is not rocket science and does not require a high degree of correction; sharpness at wide apertures is quite another matter.

Planars, although sometimes marketed as f:2 lenses, were best when limited to f:2.8. That's why the Sonnar was made (same design as later Pentax 50mm f:1.4s.)

The number of elements is not a gauge of quality imaging by itself

Mount your f:2.0 and focus on a flat wall parallel to the sensor plane, then turn to one side and then the other and observe the way the wall seems to be made of Jell-O near the corners. That's what I'm talking about.

Would be interesting with a new super-wide FA Ltd! The concept of the Limiteds are to be somewhat compact, so for an ultra-wide they would have to go small aperture. I think that would be alright by many, as an alternative to say the good but huge Sigma Art-lenses.

The DSLR market has been declining for a couple years because FF prices have been stubbornly high due to lack of competition and people are not upgrading to APS-C cameras as much as they used to. This camera will likely shake up the market. Canon and Nikon have to respond to such an attractive camera at such a reasonable price. Even if you don't plan to buy it, you can still benefit because it will force Canon and Nikon to give their users more value and lower prices.

I don't know. Seems to me the price for full frame has been going down to the point it's becoming quite reasonable. Nikon's D610 regularly sells for around $1496 or refurbished for around $1150. The somewhat fancier D750 has been around $1996 for quite a while. The Pentax is being offered at $1796 which is a great price, but not so cheaply as to somehow change the face of the market. The only feature you might claim really advantageous would be that price for 36 megapixels, but I think this will be ubiquitous soon enough.

"Canon and Nikon have to respond to such an attractive camera at such a reasonable price."

No, sorry but I don't think they do. The K-1 is a very long overdue response to the Canikon FF ranges, and I believe it's a really clever entry point from Pentax at upper end of the FF game. But I believe that the onus is still very strongly on Pentax/Ricoh to add additional FF bodies to compete with the Canikon range at the slightly lower specs available. Not least to do with weight and size. That's quite important these days.

For real? A metal chassis camera with full frame sensor for less than $1800? This camera can revive Pentax's fortunes, and send Canon and Nikon scrambling to match it in features and price. So far Nikon and Canon have been selling plastic bodied full frames in this price range. That can change.

So you are expecting ten or hundred of thousands of Canon, Nikon and Sony users to sell their complete set of lenses and accessoires with financial loss, so that they can buy this full frame camera with limited and out dated lens line-up.

Caleido, the comparison was between a potential buyer of this camera vs. a potential buyer of a Canikon plastic FF camera w/reduced features for similar price. When potential buyers already have a bunch of lenses, then yes, the considerations are different. But what potential buyers of lower-end Canikon FF cameras already have a bunch of FF lenses?

It's funny when people bring up metal construction as if it means more durable, it doesn't. Plastic can be more durable than metal construction, metal does not mean high durability, there is far more to it than just the material used.

"...and send Canon and Nikon scrambling to match it in features and price"

Ever heard of things called lenses?

Until Pentax matches, lens for lens, what Canon and Nikon can offer - specifically (but not only) at the long end, where Pentax is embarrassingly unrepresented - this thing, cool as it is (and it is), will barely register with the Big Two.

@ Keith Reeder: With that logic, Canon and Nikon should deliver lens for lens the whole Pentax Limited series before they can register with Pentax.

Truth is, all brands have their unique lens line up (well maybe except Canon and Nikon that likes to copy each other). I agree Pentax are short on long tele primes, but many full frame users never buy a 400/2,8. Its not all photographers cup of tea. I just try to say, many have all the lenses they need within Pentax current lune up. They don't have to match anybody lens for lens. But I agree they could need a few more primes in both the tele and wide end.

As a Pentax 6x7 stock shooter in the halcyon days of stock, this camera has a lot of appeal.

I know dpReview isn't into retro, but it would be a very readable piece if dpReview could get a hold of a Pentax 6x7 II with one of the later lenses (the 45mm was a gem) and some Velvia and do a comparison with the results from the K1, as that would be the imaging equivalent. The 645Z is another league again.

I'm afraid there will be no contest, should such a comparison take place. Development of the film negative is key -- sodium sulfite acts as noise reduction when used in developers; the only one without it, to my knowledge, was Agfa's Rodinal (a similar brew is sold by Fomadon, now, I believe).

In film days, a lens which resolved 35 line pairs per millimeter was sharper than most common films.

I expect the K-1 to resolve more than 160 lpm with pixel shift and a super-sharp up-to-date lens.

However, if enlargements are kept moderate, the difference might disappear.

And this does not take into account film's inferior dynamic range: ~8EV vs. 12EV or more for the K-1 (my educated guess.)

I'll send my 67 and 45mm for a new K1! I've the 67 lenses and they wont resolve well enough for a K5 sensor or a K1 sensor.AThe K1 prism hood is from the 67. Rumor has it the K1 will have a little more DR than a D810, we shall see.

After reconsideration, I have to amend my reply: Assuming 35 lp/mm for the 6x7, and then multiply to correct for image circle, the 6x7 negative will have to be enlarged less than the 35mm-sized sensor. So, with 2.25 times the linear size, the corresponding resolution becomes 35lp/mm x 72mm = 2520 lp vs (my guess) ~4000 for the K1.

Thanks Richard. I didn't like to be tedious, but that sounds about right.At least, I'd suggest that dpReview publishes a picture of the K1 beside a Pentax 6x7, because while it uses the 35mm Pentax system, it is a modern Pentax 6x7 in terms of photographic use. Such an image would show the imaging circle differences.These days we take for granted fast-handling eye-level reflex cameras with high-end commercial image quality, but lets remember that before the Pentax 6x7, we didn't have that. So in the strictest sense, this camera has Pentax 6x7 heritage (not to mention all the other Pentax SLR innovations we, and other makers, take for granted).

If I was starting out from scratch and looking for my first DSLR, this would rate very highly in my estimations. Congratulations to Ricoh/Pentax for producing a wonderful, traditionally-inspired modern DSLR.

I agree but it begs a question I often have - who are all these great cameras for? If you were starting out from scratch, it would be the result of some terrible disaster in which you lost all your gear - everything, but you survived with your photographic expertise. We all muse on this, but it's not that likely.If a newby started out, any modern camera would be fine, and if someone with this camera's level of expertise was upgrading, they would already be committed to a system.I agree with you - me too, and if a newcomer was really committed to building a versatile multi-format system, Pentax is a formidable solution, but apart from advanced photogs who already have Pentax, it's an ask to change to Pentax for the rest of us. A good thing at an honest price, though - makes you look around and see some price-gouging going on among the others...

Ecopix, I totally accept that "If I was starting out from scratch" is hypothetical, but that's my point. THIS could have been the camera I would have chosen as my first, had I been born 40 years later than I actually was.

My first SLR (as was common back then) was a Zenit E. My first high-quality camera, and which I still have, in full working order, is an Olympus OM-1n.

And had 1976 been 2016, most likely my OM-1n would have been a Pentax K-1.

Of course, Olympus now runs in my blood, so what I actually have and use day to day, loving every cubic millimetre of its being, is an Olympus OM-D E-M1. Not an SLR, but a gorgeous mirrorless SLR-style camera.

Apart from the (lack of) mirror box and physical pentaprism, my current Oly and the Pentax share a great deal in common, like the 5-way sensor shift anti-shake, articulated screen, and classic styling.

I agree. And there are a lot of people here saying this camera will force Nikon and Canon (sorry, I won't use that silly truncated form) to rethink their prices or pour higher-end features into their cheaper cameras. I wouldn't be so sure about this. Ricoh should be rightly proud of what they've packed into this camera and it will probably help them compete with the likes of Sony, maybe Fuji too, but Pentax have been too small-fry for too long to make much of a dent in a market which is already pretty mature and saturated.

I hope people buy this though, it looks fun and deserves to do well for Ricoh, who I've always respected as a camera maker from my time when I worked in a camera shop (late 1980s).

AnastigmatThe only issue with IBIS in any DSLR is that the optical VF doesn't show a stabilized image. That must be the reason why Canon and Nikon use lens IS. Apart from that inconvenience, I can't see any reason why a FF DSLR shouldn't have IBIS.

both ibis and lens stabilisation (ois) have their own advantages / disadvantages over the other...

ois is better at long tele, better at low light, usually a tad more capable and is visible through the optical viewfinder...

I think the best advantage IBIS over OIS has is that it works with every lens... that is a lot.

I have an image stabilised 24-70 2.8 on my FF Nikon... and I use a 12-40 2.8 on the OM-D E-M1 (IBIS, 5-Axis)... both work well.. and work as they're supposed to.the OM-D makes a ton of "noise" though.. unless you switch IBIS off (then it becomes quiet).... it's not audible from afar,.. but holding it to your eye, it becomes pretty evident and I find it mildly annoying.

If somebody talk beautiful things about something that you like/own/prefer, their websites are wonderful. If somebody doesn't talk about something or say that other things are better, they do it for the money and people do't have to go to their websites, because they do it for the money. Curious....

@sebasantosYou're right with that statement. Even worse: People start to hate somebody because they don't prefer the same products. If you would do the same with humans we have racists (the black and white guy issue or homo and hetero or jew and so on...)

Pentax is not a sports camera, so why would you? The big advantage Canon and Nikon have over the Mirrorless camera's is focus tracking for sports shooter. Pentax would offer no advantage, so that said, An A7 is far more attractive. Any lens is available to you with a Mirrorless camera. These high res sensors are more than is needed for landscape rather than needing pixel shift especially at real world print sizes and outputs, I would rather have the lens choices than Pixel Shift. Sorry, this camera is about brand sentimentality rather than making any sense for a new buyer. I am sure it will handle well, be well made, and feel good to use, but all too late I reckon, Would have been better making a proper mirrorless camera but considering the real tech in the A7RII, Ricoh Pentax would struggle to catch up. This camera will make a few Camera Clubbies happy but cannot see it grabbing a new generation of shooters which is really what Pentax need, to be relevant.

Maybe this comes too late, but focus tracking is not the only advantage *couch* optical viewfinder *cough* a DSLR has over a mirrorless camera.

Also, if this were a sports camera it would probably cost at least 1000 euros more, which I think would have been too steep for many people considering to upgrade.

Also, Pentax DOES offer focus tracking. You seem to imply they do not. They had focus tracking since the K-3. It's just that their tracking AF has not been as fast as Canon's or Nikon's, which probably has more to do with the focus motors than the camera body.

"Any lens is available to you with a Mirrorless camera" Any K mount or M42 lens is available to the future owner of K1

"These high res sensors are more than is needed for landscape rather than needing pixel shift especially at real world print sizes"Oh those poor fools buying 50+ Mpx digital MF cameras, if only they knew that 24 Mpx is enough! Make haste, you need to warn them!

"rather than needing pixel shift especially at real world print sizes" Sure, who needs sharpness and true to life color reproduction.

"I would rather have the lens choices" Pentax has more FF lens choices at the moment, than Sony or Fujifilm did at the launch of FE mount/X mount, with more to come. And that's not even taking legacy glass into consideration.

Mirrorless cameras are not good for sports because the image you see happened a fraction of a second before. So by the time you push the shutter button you won't catch the moment. As for lens compatibility, the Pentax can use manual focus lenses in the K mount and screw mount. Certainly some lenses are difficult to come by in Pentax AF mount (e.g. a 400mm telephoto), but there are more native mount lenses available for the K1 then for the A7.

The current prime (DFA645 400) is a little pricey and will not AF on the 645/K adapter - though it is available. And did Ricoh say the 1.4X AW TC will only work in aps/c mode so no tele-converted 150-450 in FF mode? Right, I didn't think the previous poster knew about 150-450 is why I mentioned it.

Penatx have more lenses? LOL, you mean more lenses made by Tokina for APS=C? "Any K mount or M42 lens is available to the future owner of K1." Thanks for stating the obvious , how is this any comparison for taking ANY lens on the Sony?. "Oh those poor fools buying 50+ Mpx digital MF cameras, if only they knew that 24 Mpx is enough!" What's your point? So how does pixel shift work with anything but an absolutely static image (still life?) Sorry mate but rather just have 42 from an A7RII, Do you think that's not enough?

"Yes yes, Pentax is doomed for the past 15 years now?" used to work for them when they were Pentax, not Ricoh, you know when the were so strong that they thought of Ricoh as a second shelf brand. Compared to how strong they were back then, they are now irrelevant and very much a niche brand. Strong smell of Naphthalene in this forum :-) Samsung had more market share than Pentax and they are pulling out, so what is your definition of "Doomed" (your quote not mine)

"rather than needing pixel shift especially at real world print sizes" Sure, who needs sharpness and true to life color reproduction. " Ummmmmmmm??? Anyone who has bought a Sony A7RII or D800 I suppose? And they even have a large choice of sharp lenses to use. Oh and they can capture these images in a micro second rather than 4 exposures, This means a wedding shot, a wildlife shot etc etc, Pentax pixel shift.....LOL Great for a desert landscape on a windless day hahahaha awesome.

> "Penatx have more lenses? LOL, you mean more lenses made by Tokina for APS=C?"

Tokina licensed Pentax designs for their lenses, not vice-versa,

> "Thanks for stating the obvious , how is this any comparison for taking ANY lens on the Sony?"

That's great.

> "So how does pixel shift work with anything but an absolutely static image"

It is not meant for action, but for landscape and product shots.

> "Ummmmmmmm??? Anyone who has bought a Sony A7RII or D800 I suppose?"

You obviously fail to understand how PS works. It doesn't increase resolution of the image, but improves color reproduction and micro contrast, moving final image into MF quality territory. No other FF camera on the market is capable of that.

> "These high res sensors are more than is needed for landscape"> "Sorry mate but rather just have 42 from an A7RII"

Nice one.

> "Samsung had more market share than Pentax"

In smartphones production? Care to backup your statement with any numbers?

I totally understand pixel shift was using on a Blad 7 years ago. Do you understand it? Please enlighten me how you will use your pixel shift on your next everyday photo shoot, then tell me how many lenses Pentax have that actually are capable of showing much improvement with it? Pixel shift is fine if you have no movement in your landscape, So product shoots mainly? So thanks for making my point for me. Also what Pentax lens design was Tokina using when they made the Pentax 16-50 F2.8 lens for them???

If Pentax users wanted Canon, there's nothing to stop them buying Canon, some have. Most of them don't because they appreciate what Pentax is and does.

Clearly the K-1 is not designed for you. But if you are interested in conventional flip out and tiltable screens do take a look at both the K-S1 and the 645Z (These are both Pentax cameras and weather resistant b.t.w.)

The K-1 screen allows for much greater flexibility in screen angle and placement (including straight down on the camera like a traditional WLVF), removes the side hinge, allowing for a more compact body, and is strong enough that the camera can be safely lifted by the extended screen. Sounds like a pretty nice solution to me.

Probably the most important camera Pentax has released in a long time, and it seems to be well executed. I have to admit, even as a K-3 user who has no plans to upgrade, this does give me a better feeling about Pentax, now that it's announced.

The only thing about Pentax, currently, is the lack of support from third-party manufacturers. I wonder if they will come back. I mean, it's very nice that Pentax has released the 24-70 and 15-30 f/2.8 lenses, but since they are Tamron rebadges, Tamron itself may not make them for Pentax. Which limits the selection of lenses.

But, the good news is that Pentax users don't have to switch brands to upgrade to fullframe, which should keep more people with the brand. Also, this camera is good marketing for Pentax. Even for people who just want a K-S1.

The thing about the lack of support from third-party manufacturers is about to end. Ricoh made clear that K-mout is still around and will be for a forseeable future. I wonder what sensor coverage will sigma 18-35mm F1.8 give?God damn it, two more months…

It looks more like a Pentax 6x7, than the Pentax LX, Pentax` 35mm pro camera during the late 80`s. And that`s great!! I Use Canon (work) and Sony (hobby) myself, but hey, welcome to the Full Frame Club Pentax! Impressive specs and features, I think it will do well!! :-)

An interesting and quite unique addition to the FF DSLR market. I'm still a little puzzled by the very slow (by contemporary standards) C-AF speeds in both FF and cropped APS-C though. I know Ricoh are probably not targeting sports and wildlife photog's here, but still...incorporating faster C-AF speeds in a camera such as this is not difficult, and one of the few advantages DSLRs still have over ILMs, with the exception of the Sony A6300...maybe? Also with so many manual controls, they could of designed in a dedicated AF point joystick. But these two things are only minor complaints really, in what is overall a nicely conceived camera.

i have k5 and the continuous is slow in multi but with central is not slow at all, simply is slower than canikon, has expected cause canikon target sport and wildlife mostly...but for example is much faster than most of mirrorless camera...i have tried xt1 alpha sony and both are much slower....oly om5 and panasonic are a bit faster...biggest problem is also the sdm is very silent but not the fastest...but for general use af is very good....it seems reading here than you can't use pentax camera in any moving subject, it's not true, simply if you are a sport and wildlife 100% shooters you will be better served by a d5 or 1dx or a d500...but for landscape do you think the d500 or d5 will beat this beast?

@jonny1976 - Probably not, as this camera seems to have been designed with landscape photog's in mind...but the Nikon's do have a larger pro range of lenses to choose from, for all types of photography.

be serious i shoot many thing from landscape to reportage always used the pentax....apart the long tele pentax have all you need for event street portrait studio etc...i am photographer at even like cannes film festival....canikon photo use two lenses 24-70 70-200...for landscape the 15-30 is everything you need...there are tons of lens out there...tamron is going pout with all the sp lenses for pentax, and pentax has some primes in roadmap...personaly apart sport and wildlife at high level nothing is missing..when you see the pixel shift implementation pay attention to your jaw cause it will drop till your feet.

beccasse with a k1 15-30 24-70 70 -200 you are not fully covered for most of the need? for street photography travel reportage? or photojournalism?add a pentax 50 1,4 the 55 1,4 and the sigma 35 85 1,4 and you have also fast system, you can add the 31 43 77 all fast...many pancake will cover the fun frame....the 150-450 is a good choice for tele zoom...

@waxwaineYes they are all bad unless it is a pentax. i am wondering why canon and nikon have pro users at all and how they can deliver those stunning images... that couldn't be taken from a canon or nikon...

yes to buy a camera in these days is like playing war. it is not about photography at all? ...oh damn, i was so naive to take pictures with my nikon. why in this world nobody told me that this is a sin to take pictures with a nikon?

An a7! People don't realize the rugged and beauty of a kqq1 body.The a7 look a Rosy comparte . In additino the new Sony zoom are much bigger Than dslr and cost an are and a le. All those a7 in the market must stay Home all time cause i Sad in real life probably 5. The a7r cost 3200 Dollar two usarsi ago now can be borghi for less a Than 1200 . A ricoh gr costed 800 dollar There years ago and now stil cost no less Than 450 euro Used. To say the Sony not e ven Kev their price in long term.

Pixel shift use-able for landscapes. That to me is a killer feature and I'm looking forward to seeing what landscape shooters can do with it. The unusual tilting screen may also aid tripod shooting in difficult lighting conditions.

I like the looks of the camera, except that the reservations about the screen expressed in the article make sense to me. It seems a likely first point of failure and doesn't go along with the theme of simplicity in the rest of the camera. Time will tell.

Yes you got a point there, the video didn't give answer to the longevity of this, just a clear hint of the strength and robustness of the solution. But I dont see why this ribbon cable should be a problem compared to other solutions, ribbon cables are used in many designs that calls for long-term durability.

I'm pretty sure the new lcd-design is to give the best of both worlds: ability to only tilt the screen for more discrete shooting (without pulling the screen out to the side of the camera), while maintaining the ability to tilt the screen in vertical orientation. At least that was my initial thoughts, as this is a frequent complaint.

I feel quite confident in Pentax's design of this flexible lcd, but yes it is a legitimate question to ask, no doubt about that.At this point in time we can however only speculate regarding what could be a possible future point of failure.Time will tell.

yes, the deckchair mating info is really helpful to those of us who have never surprized the things 'in the act.' The only activity I thought deckchairs were capable of is nipping the fingers of people who are foolish enough to meddle with them:)

As a former long time Pentax shooter, my big question is: how good will the fa limiteds be with this new sensor? Those 3 little lenses were the reason I went with Pentax in the first place, and the darlings of the lens line up.

If I was Pentax, I would be working hastily on bringing out updated versions of those lenses(and ideally have production brought back to Japan). Throw in a new 50mm 1.2 & 85mm 1.2 (and a pro level flash) and I think they'd could draw in a LOT of buyers.

When I first started shopping cameras, a Japanese photographer I really respected wrote: "bodies come and go. You buy into a system for the lenses."That always stuck with me. And a stunner 50/1.2 & 85/1.2 would call to wedding & portrait shooters like a siren.

Personally i hope Pentax comes up with a HD-DFA 20mm Limited and also a 135mm Limited. I alsready have the 3 Amigos. Rumor has it we're getting HD versions of them. You won't hear me grumbling about them being screw driven - they will last longer than i will that way.

Pentax P-TTL system isn't great, but I think their current flashes are a bit overlooked for those that are ok with working manually and do a lot of outdoors shooting ... only flashes I know off that are weather sealed.

As the pixel size on the K-1 are larger than the K-3, I would say you should be fine. Having used a 77mm Limited in the studio, on my K-3, I was stunned at how good it still is, even down to pixel peeping. A good lens is a good lens, no matter how old, and all three amigos will be superb on the K-1. My only reservation is the 43mm and its tendency to produce awful CA wide open, something my M50 F1.7 is far better at controlling.

How come no one complains that this doesn't have 4K yet everyone gets on Canon's case about it? Anyway, glad to see another FF option out there. This is one of the top qualifiers for an economic FF body. However, I'm not familiar w/ the lens options.

Just a guess: Canon used to be innovating in the video department on DSLRs, so expectations are high. Pentax on the other hand has never been known for strong video features, has it? I think they are quite open about focusing on stills. So expectations concerning innovation in the video department are low.

Pentax doesn't play catch up in video while newcomers like Olympus and Fuji have gained a lot more technical improvements at video - Pentax is sleeping here and it is really strange why they stopped to use their mechanical SR for video which worked better then anything they have added later. This is one of their decisions which shakes my head.

Only a minority of people want video, and they are well catered for by various people, including Canon. Canon are getting stick because having tempted video people in, they are not keeping up. Pentax have never offered much in the video. I'm fine with that, I have no use for it normally, but SOME video is handy to have just in case.

You know that modern photographers take video footage for YouTube and oder Social Media Channels? It is because to make their photos more popular with some sort of "making of" or documentation. It would make a DSLR more flexible to handle both, at least i see nothing wrong with it to offer at least good video capability.

The sensor is incapable of 4k video. A sensor with this capability and similar pixel density would have pushed the price much higher and run against the aggressive pricing strategy Ricoh chose to pursue.

For YouTube and video Pentax can take video. Pentax cm take video has not the spec of more video fregature d camera but have all for video even sound control. For photojournalism and blogger that's enough.

I haven't been in the market for a DSLR for a while, but there was something very very pleasant about holding the K3. It's ergonomics seemed pretty perfect, like it's designers were very conscious of the body getting out of the way to let you take pictures. It's sculpted grip, pixel-shift mode and bright viewfinder made it a much more exciting proposition than a nearby D7200.

I'm still not sure I'd go back to a DSLR because I love taking photographs hiking and out and about on trips, but if I were in the market I think I'd buy this without having to think much about it.

As a Pentaxian over the past 40 years, I finally moved on from the K5 and went Fuji X. As others have said bodies come and go but you really invest in good lenses. Which used to be a Pentax forté.But whilst I do now have an excelent set of Fuji lenses I've kept the K5 which I find to be practically indestructible and totally waterproof. So I can see a body swap K5 to K1 on the cards later this year and I'm really looking forward to using my old K series lenses as they were intended to be used!

A very good move by Pentax. This will have direct and indirect consequences, beneficial for everybody apart from the compitition: For Pentax (direct benefit of sales in a new sector and possibly indirect positive effect on sales of other sectors), direct benefit for the new FF customers who'll buy Pentax FF and even for FF customers of other brands are likely to enjoy better prices and/or quality from their brands.

good job pentax...553 comments, compared to 170 of canon 80d....clearly hit some buttons and souls...i suspect when both dxo rating and the still images with pixel shift technology will come out, many son ikon users will make harakiri...

This 'starstream' feature has my curiosity. How does it work? What is the min. and max. exposures under the stars for the sensor to 'move' and does it matter what lens it uses to work this feature? Does it have Bulb and can one get a remote fort his camera to keep the shutter open for an hour or two? I do prof. Astrophotoraphy.

While I don't know the exact answers to your questions, common sense tells me that this astrotracing feature is too limited for your ideas, because it works by moving the sensor and the sensor can only move so much. The earth rotates by approximately 15° within an hour, meaning that the lens will point at a very different point in the sky by then (unless you've pointed it at the celestial pole). There's no way for the sensor to compensate for it (and even if pointed at the pole, the sensor won't be able to rotate by 15°).

Indubitably the sensor has a small range of movement that limits the duration of any star tracking, depending on the focal length. I doubt it is useful for FL > 100mm and even that is probably a stretch. But judging by the several comments about short FL lenses (e.g. 35mm FL) used for "astrophotography" this would fit that niche.

It may not be the most spectacularly specced camera in the world, but for its price, the value is just spectacular. I'm a sports photographer so I probably wouldn't be able to use it for that, but for everything else I do, I just might have to pick up one of these. Well done, Pentax!

The sensor is moved by its stabilisation mechanism , under the guidance of the GPS system, taking into account the geografical coordinates of the camera position. In this way, the sensor is tracking the same spot in the sky. The max. time to do that depends of the lens focal length and the distance from the celestial pole and cannot be longer than 5 minutes. The camera, as a whole is not tracking the target. For lower level bodies (K-5, K-30, K-S2) an external accessory is available, the Pentax O-GPS1.

I had a Pentax K-30, that collaborated with the GPS module very well. I had shot even 2 min good exposures at 300 mm. Of course, sometimes I had to perform the "Precise Calibration" function in order to achieve that. The new KS-2 is not that good. Another issue is that the camera has to be moved from time to time, if somebody has to track the same sky area for a long time.

Keith you're right that civilian GPS is intentionally inaccurate to hide the exact position of the satellite, but apparently it's accurate enough for a 5 minute exposure. This is like the 8th Pentax camera that can do astrotracing, (though one of the first to have it built in). The real limiting factor is the rotational speed of the earth, and the fact that, from the equator, the northern and southern skies move in opposite directions so certain focal lengths may capture too much sky to track.

My first serious camera was the AP Spotmatic F, still working. I loved the bokeh and quality of the SMC Takumar 50 1.4, even its golden flare rings (these days flare tends to ugly green overtones, like in Sigmas).

If this had been available many years ago when I moved to digital and to Nikon, maybe I'd have stayed Pentax. Now it is too late, Nikon is also a great maker of cameras, but to those that stayed, looks like a winner.

BTW, the sensor is likely the one in the D8xx line of Nikon, the best around in most aspects

This is a very compelling camera, especially at the price point. Some jokes here about the sensor being past generation but we know it's a solid and very capable sensor. Add the 5-axis IS system, weatherproofing, rear button af button and solid construction, it's really a WOW camera. Sure the lens offering is limited at the moment. But there's enough out there to build a system. I have a soft spot for Pentax having shot and loved my 67 back in the day. The pentaprism of this camera reminds me of that. It appeals to me!

I was commenting on a general design trend that I'm seeing, and was wondering where it will go; away from the soap bar with great ergonomics shape back to a more traditional rectangular form language? I'm not one of those that keeps insisting design (how it looks as well as from a functional point of view) is not important to me. It is.

For my hipster moments I grab my FM2/T with a burnished brown Artisan and Artist strap. And a lens. And a roll of Tri-X.

What pressure ? Pentax has a 7 % marketshare of all cameras. They lack a consistent Lens range fully compatible with this body. They do not havé any serious wide angle, no 85 mm, no 180 mm, no 300 f4......

85mlm ? Yep, but there is a fantastic 77mm, and there is a vintage AF Pentax 85f1.4 lens than outperforms today CAnikon's 85mm if you want, just one of the best 85mm ever made... (and i forgot the 85 f1.4 by Samyang)

How often do we find that the small players show the big guys how to do it?

The spec looks extremely interesting and if it competes in the IQ stakes, it looks like Pentax could have a winner on its hands. I'm not in the market for a dslr in any shape or form, but if I was, the Pentax could be up there with the rest of them. I have no Pentax prejudices.

1 I'd like my next ff dslr to be slightly smaller, slightly lighter than my 810, certainly not 10% heavier.

2 It's allright to criticize the Df for getting many things wrong (although I don't really get the comparison; this model isn't meant for the retro crowd), but at least they got the sensor right for old glass. At 36Mp the SMC Takumars, older K-mount etc will just disappoint heavily.

If your D810 is too big why don't you try a D610 or D750 body size and weight? It is small enough to get comfortable with and shouldn't be smaller if you don't want compromises in the user interface and hold a 70-200mm f/2.8 with it.

@Jorge: I found the 750 slightly too small; right hand pinky dangling in no man's land.

I've had the 700/800/E and now the 810. Slightly too large, slightly too heavy, although the experience of weight is to quite some extent a function of ergonomics. There's always something to complain about.

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